1. Field of Invention
A bumper protection device for automobile bumpers to shield the bumpers from impact attaches to the automobile by a fabric shroud which attaches around the hood and trunk latch and suspends an impact resisting padded guard portion, adapted to the vehicle bumper, covering the entire front or rear bumper, the padded guard portion being drawn partially around the sides of the bumper and anchored by at least one elastic strap attached to opposing ends of the bumper guard portion, each elastic strap being further attached to the tires or wheel wells of the automobile retaining the bumper protection device over the entire rear bumper surface and around the sides of the bumper.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to vehicle bumper and side impact protectors.
Two U.S. Pat. No. 3,574,379 to Jordan and U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,095 to Glance deal with bumper protectors incorporated directly as part of the bumper of a vehicle, which have either a liquid foam filling of a collapsible elastic material contained in a cavity, with the devices attached to the front of the bumper to absorb impact.
Several side impact protection devices are disclosed in the prior art, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,471 to Fishback, U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,685 to Fisher, U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,684 to Richter and U.S. Pat. No. 3,610,669 to Morrissey, Sr. All these prior art patent include a protective panel suspended by connectors and attached to door handles, a clip or hook attached to the roof of the vehicle, captured between the door and the vehicle roof, or simply draped across the hood and trunk with two protectors, one on each side of the vehicle.
In yet another set of prior art patents, front or rear bumper guards are attached to either the front bumper or the rear bumper. U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,073 to Criscione discloses a rear bumper protector which covers the rear bumper and attaches to the bumper using straps looped through attachment handles located within the wheel wells. A hook inside the trunk secures flexible strips of material having variable distances holes attached to a portable cushion protector over a bumper with magnetic strips holding the sides of the protector to the side of the vehicle in U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,086 to Kelly. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,163 to Pickett, a bumper guard has a visual deterrent in the form of metal spike protruding from a base, with the device being suspended from the vehicle by a plastic anchor attached to a vehicle by two straps. Hooks attach straps suspending a deformable material, the hooks attaching to something inside the trunk with the trunk lid closed on top of the straps in U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,790 to Bio. An ornamental design for a bumper guard having apparent straps attached to the floor of the vehicle, shown as a van, in U.S. Design Pat. No. D508,222 to Tevavec.
Although similar in function and purpose, the above noted patents do not demonsrate or disclose a bumper protector having a fabric apron with an upper portion having a reinforced aperture adapted to be placed around a trunk or hood latch with a flexible engagement handle and a lower portion forming a linear cavity within which is placed a deformable padding material, the lower portion covering a vehicle bumper and having a flexible joint allowing the lower portion to extend around the sides of the bumper, the lower portion further having opposing ends to which are attached at least on elastic cord having a hook on its end which attaches the elastic cord to the edge of nearest wheel well, stretching the lower portion across the bumper and closely contouring the lower portion to the rear bumper of the vehicle.